Our first stop at the area near km 94 was unbelievably disappointing - there were no birds in sight and not even a single chirp was heard! We continued the drive and all along the way no bird sounds were heard. Beyond the small chapel (which was always our last stop) I saw some movement at the hillside. A Blue Rock Thrush was slowly moving down!
After having taken a few shots of the migrant bird, it started to drizzle. For almost two hours it rained - sometimes just a trickle and sometimes a complete downpour. When we asked the locals (whom we've made friends with in our previous trips here) whether there were birds in their neck of the woods, the answers were unanimous - none. It was because of the constant rainfall they told us. With such a predicament, Cynthia and I agreed to call it a day. While driving, we spotted a Grey Wagtail along the road and even got a documentary shot.
Somehow the skies cleared up as we arrived at the Sidlakan Adventure Resort. There we got some really good shots of the friendly Flaming Sunbirds - both male and female.
Soon the skies darkened again foreboding more precipitation. Time for us leave - it was our plan to have lunch at the Gathering restaurant in Tanay anyway. As soon as we passed the arch that says welcome to Infanta, the weather became gloriously sunny. Was it only in Infanta that the rain falls unceasingly?
At the Gathering before having our lunch served, we added two more species to the list of birds photographed that morning putting the total to 5 - the Brown Shrike and the Olive-backed Sunbird.
It was one of the most disappointing birding trips we had. Perhaps it was due to the short period we got to do real birding because most of the time we were siting inside the car waiting for the rain to stop. But we are still hopeful that the rest of the year 2020 would give us longer times and more birds to see just like having a 20/20 vision.
1 comment:
That is an attractive shot of a nectar-sucking, flaming sunbird with the colorful red background!
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